Salt tax proposal leaves bad taste in mouth

A tax on salt is 'not the way to change behaviour', says Katherine Rich from the Food and Grocery Council. File photo / NZ Herald

A proposal to tax salt has left a bad taste in the mouth of Katherine Rich from the Food and Grocery Council.

In an interview with Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking, Ms Rich argued against Otago University researchers' suggestion that a salt tax would help lower consumption.

"Well certainly the amount of salt New Zealanders consume has to come down, but a tax is a pretty silly idea and not the way that's going to happen," she said.

The research paper from Otago University's Wellington campus said the Government could raise up to $450 million a year by taxing salt.

But Ms Rich said this would hit the poor the hardest.

"That's about another hundred dollars a year from every New Zealander and while some people would say, 'oh, that's not much', for a lot of families that is a lot of money," she said.

"It's just not the way to change behaviour."

The researchers found New Zealanders were consuming 33 per cent more salt than the recommended daily amount.

"Our diet has become much more dominated by processed food and there's a lot of hidden salt in those foods," said Professor Nick Wilson.